174th Maintenance Commander Retires

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tiffany Scofield
  • 174th Attack Wing

SYRACUSE, NY – Colonel Catherine Hutson, 174th Attack Wing Maintenance Group (MXG) Commander, retired after 32 years of military service during a ceremony at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base May 6, 2023.

Hutson has been the MXG Commander for nearly seven years. Prior to this role, she served as the Deputy Mission Support Group Commander, the Deputy Maintenance Group Commander, the Aircraft Squadron Commander, the Maintenance Squadron Commander, and the Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander.

Former 174th Attack Wing Commander, Col. Anthony B. Basile, presided over the retirement ceremony, which included speeches, awards, and farewells.

Colonel Hutson was born in Reston, Va., and received her commission through Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps from Virginia Tech in 1991. Following her commissioning, Colonel Hutson served over seven years on Active Duty.

Her assignments included the Military Personnel Flight at Pope AFB, NC, the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, the 1st Mission Support Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia, and the Joint Reception Center at Howard AFB, Panama. At the end of her Active Duty time she served as an AFROTC Instructor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Colonel Hutson transferred from the Active Duty in August 1999 and was selected to fill a full-time position with the New York Air National Guard. During her time with the Air National Guard she has served as the wing executive officer and community relations manager, and has held several squadron command positions. In 2008, she served as the Maintenance Officer in Charge of over 250 personnel at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, for the last F-16 combat deployment from the 174th Fighter Wing.

During the ceremony, Colonel Hutson thanked numerous people, including past commanders who are now general officers, her family, and the young airmen who are currently serving.